Ratchet movement



March 13, 1934 P. GARGAN 1,951,191

RATCHET MOVEMENT Filed March 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Pafr l'ck Ga r- 7 an A T TORNEYS.

March 13, 19340 R GARGAN 1,951,191

RATCHET MOVEMENT Filed March 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

O/T/ c K on ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 Patrick Gargan, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 6, 1933, Serial No. 659,663

3 Claims.

The invention relates to mechanical movements and has for one of its objects to provide a ratchet movement of novel construction in which'the pawl or detent is actuated without the aid of gravity or a spring. Another object is to provide a ratchet movement which is practically noiseless in operation, and which has no parts easily broken or exposed to excessive wear. A further object is to provide a ratchet movement which is positive in its operation, which can be made of a small and compact size, and which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

These and various other objects and advantages will be readily understood from the following description and from the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments of the invention in which, however, modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the drawings 20 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one of the embodiments shown partly in section,

Fig. 2 a plan view of same with parts broken away to show the interior,

Fig. 3 a development of the periphery of a ratchet wheel employed in the device,

Fig. 4 a cross-sectional side view of the housing used with the device and taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 a development of the periphery of a modification of the ratchet wheel,

Fig. 6 another cross-sectional side view of the housing showing a modified detent,

Fig. 7 a side elevation of a modification of the whole device,

Fig. 8 a side elevation of a ratchet movement employing the housing shown in Fig. 6,

Fig. 9 an end view of Fig. 8,

Fig. 10 a side elevation showing a modification of Fig. '7, and

Fig. 11 a top view of Fig. 10.

A certain embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 41. This embodiment is particularly well adapted for such devices as ratchet drills and wrenches, and it comprises a housing 10 in which a ratchet wheel 11 is rotatingly mounted. The housing is provided with an operating handle 12 and the ratchet wheel is kept in place by a cover 13 secured on the housing.

A plurality of ratchet teeth 14 and 15 are formed on the periphery of the ratchet wheel. These teeth are oppositely disposed and staggered, as plainly shown in Fig. 3. The teeth are so located that a channel 16 is formed between them through which the operating end 17 of a pawl 18 will freely 55 pass when the housing is turned in one direction.

The pawl is mounted on a pin 19 and is contained in a recess 20, which is formed in the housing as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. When the housing is turned in one direction the pawl rocks from side to side as its operating end follows the channel 16, but, when turned in the opposite direction, the end of the pawl engages in the nearest tooth and causes the ratchet wheel to turn. So as to take the strain of the pin 19, one end of the recess 20 is preferably so shaped as to form a seat 21 against which the end of the pawl abuts. This is shown in Fig. 4.

So as to decrease the angle through which the housing must be turned to operate the ratchet wheel, more than one pawl may be used. This is illustrated in Fig. 2 where a second pawl is shown at 22. This pawl is so located that its operating end will be in an intermediate position between two teeth when the other pawl is in engagement with a tooth.

As shown on Fig. 5, a roller 23 may be mounted on the end of the pawl 24. While this roller will operate in the ordinary teeth shown in Fig. 3, I prefer to undercut the teeth 25 and 26 in the manner shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 6, a roller 27 may be substituted for the pawl previously described. The roller 27 is free to move in a transverse groove 28 formed in the housing 29. As the housing is turned the roller moves back and forth in the groove as it engages alternate teeth. Several such rollers may be used in the housing and balls might be substituted for the rollers, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 where the balls are indicated at 34.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7 a reciprocating lever 30 takes the place of the housing previously described. A pawl 31 is pivoted on this lever by a pin 32 and the operating of the pawl turns the ratchet wheel 33. This pawl may also be provided with a roller, or the pawl may be dispensed with and the ratchet wheel actuated by a roller inserted in a groove in the lever 30, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 where the roller is shown at 35 and the groove at 36.

Having described my invention and its operation, what I claim as new and wish to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A ratchet movement comprising a ratchet wheel having a plurality of oppositely and alternately disposed ratchet teeth on its perifery, a housing in which said ratchet wheel is rotatingly mounted, a transverse groove formed in said housing, and an independent rolling detent contained in said groove which engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel when the housing is moved in one direction and which is reciprocated in the groove by the teeth of the ratchet wheel when the housing is moved in the other direction.

2. A ratchet movement comprising a ratchet Wheel having a plurality of oppositely and alternately disposed ratchet teeth on its perifery, a housing in which said ratchet wheel is rotatingly mounted, transverse grooves formed in said housing, independent rolling detents contained in said grooves which engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel when the housing is moved in one direction and which are reciprocated in the grooves by the teeth of the ratchet wheel when the housing is moved in the other direction, and the grooves so spaced in the housing that only one detent will operatively engage one tooth at one time. 

